A Right To Know? Gov’s Food Stamp Asset Test May Be Hypocritical

Governor Tom Corbett (R – PA) wants to asset test food stamp beneficiaries, but should he be asset tested as well? After all, public funds do support his dining habits.

Corbett announced his plan to asset test Pennsylvania’s 1.8 million food stamp beneficiaries in January. The idea is the commonwealth could save money by eliminating food stamps for individuals and families with more than $2,000 in savings or net worth.

His plan is causing quite the PR firestorm. It has graced the Op-Ed pages of the Philadelphia Inquirer and other local papers several times since it was announced. Even former Gov. Ed Rendell warned Corbett in an open letter that the test would be expensive and hurt Pennsylvania’s economy.

In a bit of investigative blogging, I’ve decided to file a Right To Know request on Gov. Corbett’s dining expenditures. I’m sure the former attorney general has more than $2,000 in assets. Why should public funds pay for his food?

Dior Goes Digital

Christian Dior, one of the most recognizable couture fashion lines, goes digital with an online magazine.The brand recently suffered a major PR blow after former Dior director, John Galliano, gave a public anti-Semitic rant. The negative effects, including boycotting from major celebrities, resulted in an opportunity for Dior to expand to an online platform. The crisis communication band-aide was the idea that if Dior made the brand more easily accessible to fashion lovers through an online platform, the brand could possibly regain their integrity. 

Dior even took their social media platform a step further when they live streamed and tweeted its Fall 2012 ready-to-wear collection from Paris Fashion Week through an intermediate blog. In their online magazine, they recapped their 2012 Spring/Summer Haute collection giving the 1940’s a millennial twist, sweeping foreign fashion and wowing home-bound fans.

Christian Dior's Haute Spring Summer 2012 Collection 

Do you think fashion critics and celebrities are willing to forgive the nostalgic brand after making the line more accessible?

Student-Alumni Networking Event: The Elevator Pitch Essentials

Recently I got the opportunity to attend a Student-Alumni Networking Event hosted by the Career Center. A variety of Temple alumni (even some PRowl alums!) came to give the students a chance to practice networking, especially concentrating on the elevator pitch. Below are a few points I took from the workshop:

• Keep it Short: They don't call it the 30-second pitch for nothing. Be sure to keep your pitch short when networking, as people naturally have short attention spans. At a networking event you will probably be speaking to a large volume of people, having a short, quality pitch will enable you to give your basic stats to more people.
• Keep it Simple: You only have a short time to pitch yourself to other professionals. While you want them to get a feel of who you are, both personally and professionally, keep in mind that you're just meeting them. Using confusing jargon or bouncing back and forth from one idea to another will likely confuse the other person. This one was hard for me, because I wanted to get out everything about myself I could, eventually I learned that I don't have to get everything out in one breath, an elevator pitch doesn't always mean talking for 30 seconds straight with no breaks. Introduce yourself, give the other person the chance to introduce themselves, and go from there.
• What Makes You Different? What can you do that sets you apart from everyone else? An elevator pitch essentially involves selling yourself as a professional. So why should the person you're networking with keep in touch with you? In my elevator pitch, I used the fact that I intend to go to medical school after I graduate in order to draw in attention. That sets me apart and will give the other person something to remember me by.
• Sign Off with a Good Handshake: Thank them for their time, exchange business cards, encourage keeping in touch, and end with a good, firm handshake. Something that everyone I connected with at Careers 101 seemed to value was a firm handshake. It seems minute and trivial, but a good handshake exudes confidence and security, traits that employers definitely value.
  

Do you have an elevator pitch? What do you think are essentials? Let us know!

Persuasion and the Study of Public Relations

As a freshman and new to the study of public relations, I find myself learning new things about the industry every day. Recently, in my persuasion class, I have been learning about an aspect of the industry that is of vital importance but often overlooked: non-verbal communication.

There are a variety of different ways to communicate non-verbally each highlighting a different aspect of the message you are trying to convey. Below is a list of the tactics of non-verbal communication that are most important when working in the PR industry.

• Physical Appearance: Your physical appearance, or your overall look, is vital when presenting yourself in a professional situation. Appearing groomed and well put together will position yourself as professional and credible when you are at work. Similarly, having your client’s physical appearance match the audience that he or she is appealing to will help them to seem more credible to their audience.

• Chronemics: Chronemics, or the use of time, is also extremely important when working in the PR industry. Being on time to meetings and making deadlines is of the utmost importance when you are working as a public relations specialist. The best PR moves have been made in a timely fashion.

• Haptics: The use of haptics, or communication through touch, is another aspect that PR pros need to take in to consideration. Whether you are the specialist or the client, having a firm handshake can make a world of a difference to your presentation. A firm handshake exudes confidence and allows your audience to feel confident in your hands.

• Artifactual Communication: Similarly to physical appearance, artifactual communication, or communication through objects and ornaments, is extremely important in the professional world. The kind of clothing you wear sets the tone for how people are going to view you. If you are dressed in a professional manner, then people are more likely to treat you as a professional

Taking non-verbal communication into consideration when working in the PR industry can have a substantial effect on your success. Now that you are aware of the different types of non-verbal communication, and how they can affect your presentation, use them to your advantage. Make yourself and your client as marketable as possible!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Lexi Drexler.

Is Penn State’s THON now a PR Tactic?

It has been quite the year for Penn State with Jerry Sandusky’s sex abuse charges and the death of Joe Paterno. From a human perspective, it has been a year full of tragedy but from a public relations stand point, it has been a year of crisis management. Everyone’s question: Can Penn State recover?

While the answer is still not entirely clear, it is more than possible for Penn State to come back better than ever. A perfect example of this: Penn State’s THON raised $10.6 million for childhood cancer research this year and exceeded its goal by $1.1 million. The entire Penn State community banded together to support a cause they believe in.

From a public relations perspective, THON can be seen as a PR tactic that helped Penn State restore its image in the higher education world. This year’s THON commercial uses very specific language that talks about the challenges of the past year. In the video, the phrase “Many things have changed” flashes across the screen while a photo montage plays in the background. By using this terminology, Penn State recognizes that the environment around the event has changed drastically in the last year. However, the next phrase to be shown was “But what’s important remains the same…our families.” This phrase conveys the message that Penn State’s mission remains the same regardless of what happened during this year. They are a unified force that will be overcome any obstacle in order to raise money for the children in need.

Despite scandals and difficulties with fundraising before the event, THON raised the most money in the history of the program. The event can be seen as a PR tactic that helped restore Penn State’s image in the mist of recent challenges. Additionally, the success of THON shows the resiliency of the Penn State community. While there are still many steps to take in order to change the perception of Penn State, THON’s success has played a key role in the process.

Do you see THON as a PR tactic for Penn State? Why or why not? Let us know!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Alex Crispino.

Skipping Cancun for Cover Letters

For Temple students, Spring Break officially starts tomorrow. While a few of my friends may be skipping the colder Philadelphia weather for bikinis and sandy beaches, I know several others who are using this next week to catch up on their job search. With many of us so bogged down by classes, internships, jobs and student organizations, Spring Break is the perfect chance to get in gear for the job hunt. Here are a few ways home-bound seniors can spend their Spring Break productively:


1. Perfect Your Resume. Putting together a great resume takes a lot of time. Use this as a chance to read up on a few blogs about ways to spice up your resume and really make it pop. Make sure you're including links to your social profiles such as Twitter (only if you're active and professional), LinkedIn and your personal website if you have one. Also make sure you are quantifying your previous experiences. Here's an article from Come Recommended on ways to get your resume noticed.

2. Learn the Art of the Cover Letter. Often times, the cover letter is the most important document you submit for an application. It's the employer's first impression of you and you need to wow them. Cover letters also take a lot of time to put together because you should tailor each letter to each different job. Here is a great article on how to write a "knock 'em dead" cover letter from US News.

3. Link in with your LinkedIn. I know I created a LinkedIn account for myself a few years ago, and until about a week ago, it still said my profile was only 90% complete because there were missing fields I wasn't taking advantage of such as writing a summary about myself or including searchable keywords about my skills. I now have a complete profile, but there are so many components to the site all job seekers should be taking more advantage of such as joining groups and participating in forums. Corn on the Job has a great post about 5 Ways to Boost Your LinkedIn Profile.

4. Phone a Friend. I'm told by everyone I know that when it comes to the job search, its all about who you know. Take advantage of your professional network. Call up a mentor and see if you can treat them to coffee or lunch during the week so you can get advice and see if they have any insight about potential opportunities. Mentors are incredibly important during the job search process because they've experienced everything you're going through and can offer valuable advice on how to be successful.

So yes, while a pina colada and the beaches of Cancun may sound more appealing than looking for a job, just remember sometimes you need to work hard before you can play hard.

StratComm Scores at Basketball Night

The School of Communication and Theater’s Strategic Communication Department hosted a basketball night on Wednesday, February 29. The event began with a networking hour in the Annenberg Atrium at 5:30 p.m., which attracted about 20 professors, students and parents from the department. Following the networking event, approximately 50 attendees watched the Owls take on the University of Massachusetts Minutemen at the Liacouras Center at 7 p.m. The nail-biting game went into overtime but the Temple Owls prevailed, 90-88. It was an incredible game to be a part of.

The networking hour allowed students and parents to interact with the department while enjoying light refreshments. At the basketball game, parents, student, alumni and professors occupied a designated “StratComm” section. StratComm Basketball Night attendees were able to get involved in halftime promotional activities and StratComm t-shirts were thrown to the audience. The event was promoted with the #StratCommBball hashtag as students live-tweeted during the game.

StratComm Basketball Night was a great night for parents and students to interact with the Department of Strategic Communication while supporting Temple’s outstanding Men’s Basketball Team.

For any additional information on future StratComm events, please email stratcommtu@gmail.com or visit http://sct.temple.edu/web/strc/.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kyra Mazurek.